Tebaldi Cappellano is something of an anachronism.
A legend in the rarified world of Barolo makers, he makes palate-inspiring wines from ungrafted root stock, using ancient and organic methods, decries modern wine scales and opines in the language of an epic poet.
With his passing away last year, the wine world loses an icon, but we are still able to muse over his quotes on wine:
“Making Barolo is hedonism, it is art. Wine is hedonism. But wine, too, needs identity: I need to be able to say ‘This is Barolo…’‘”
And if you can find his wines, enjoy his artistry in a bottle.
I’ve blogged on his Dolcetto, but until this Nebbiolo D’Alba, was unable to find an affordable way to experience his touch with the Nebbiolo grape.
This Nebbiolo is a way into the hard-to-find and overpriced world of the Barolos. And Cappellano opens some large doors for us. With completely organic production and using only indigenous yeasts, there is not a hint of industrialized farming in his approach nor modern short cut methods of wine making. This is wine in its purist form.
And as possibly the only Barolo maker with ungrafted Nebbiolo vines, he stands out, well…as a unique wine experience. I can’t separate the mastery of the wine maker, the purity of the viniculture nor the possible effects on taste of the ungrafted stock. But it is all there in the bottle.
This is marketed as a varietal, that is 100% Nebbiolo. There are certainly differences between this and Barolo, but this is an incredibly approachable way to get to know this grape.
Uncork this bottle and let it breathe. It’s really wound tight and when decanted, it starts to unwind and the qualities actually appear in a tangible way. Remarkable richness. A long finish. Permeated with an almost infused berry taste. It makes you think of some hillside in Langhe, in Northern Italy where for generations, they’ve been teasing taste from these vines.
At $29.95 a bottle, you need to jump on this one if you can find it.
Some are still available at Chambers Street Wines in TriBeCa NYC.
